A Lone Blossom in the Dust
by Temptation of Lacuna
Summary: Flora always felt she was invisible to those she found of interest. She tried so hard to keep such a distant because of her dark secret. Can a new transfer student break her painful silence?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

She lay curled up in a tiny ball on the living room floor as blood slowly trickled from the corner of her mouth. Heavy sobs shook her slender body while long brown hair covered her face, hiding the tears that fell from her green eyes. She still felt a sharp pain in her stomach from the punches her father hit her with. Her clothes were also torn up from her attempted struggle to get away from the man.

These beatings were a daily occurrence for Flora. Her mother had died when she was only six years old and her father had always been a raging alcoholic. Every night he would go out drinking and come back home to administer Flora's nightly beating. And even when he was sober he was still a violent person. If ever Flora made a simple mistake she'd be punished severely for it. For example, when she was thirteen Flora had received an A- on her report card and was punished by being starved for a full week. She never got another A- again.

Flora was now seventeen years old but instead of going shopping or out on dates with guys she was trapped in her own home. Instead of going to dances and basketball games she was the personal punching bag of the man who was supposed to be her father. No one knew the suffering she went through on a daily basis, no one even seemed to know she existed.

Two last tears slipped out of her eyes before the world went black…

* * *

_Rain Crystal_: Hey everyone! My first Winx fic is finally here! Flora is my favorite character so naturally I would have to center the story on her. Obviously this is an AU and there will be no magic, fairies, or witches, just high school students. Isn't that scary enough? Anyhow, let me know what you think of this idea. I look forward to reading your reviews! 


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One **

Flora stared at the ceiling as she lay restless in her bed. She had gotten no sleep that night as her mind had been running rampant with thoughts of her father's violent nature. After a few long minutes the sound of her Hello Kitty alarm clock seemed to echo throughout the suffocatingly silent room.

Quickly Flora jumped out of bed and ran to her closet to retrieve her uniform. She slowly removed her pink floral print pajamas revealing many bruises and cuts before slipping on her uniform which consisted of a white t-shirt tucked into a knee-length forest green skirt. Next she put on the matching forest green vest and tied the black cord that went under the color of the t-shirt into a bow near her neck. White knee-high socks and black flats completed the ensemble.

Once she was finished dressing, Flora ran to her dresser to brush her long brown hair that had two lighter streaks that framed her face. Next she began applying make up, opting for rose pink lipstick and lavender eye shadow. Shifting through the jewelry that lay spread out on her dresser she chose a slim silver bracelet and matching hoop earrings to accessorize her uniform.

Slowly Flora walked to the far corner of her room to retrieve her backpack before exiting her bedroom. She put the backpack on as she carefully descended the stairs leading to the living room. Fortunately her father had already left for work meaning that she wouldn't have to worry about a beating before school. Deciding that she wasn't hungry, Flora skipped breakfast and rushed straight out the door.

Alfea High was only a few blocks away from Flora's house and though she had left home with plenty of time she still ran as fast as she could to get there. She reached the campus within about five minutes and began ascending the stairs leading up to its entrance. Unfortunately she stumbled over something and fell right into some one.

"I'm sorry!" Flora exclaimed, looking to the person she had fallen on. As if to add to her misfortune the person she had knocked over was none other than Darcy, one of the meanest girls at Alfea.

"Watch where you're going, loser!" shouted the green haired girl as she rose to her feet and dusted herself off, "People are walking here you know!"

"There's no need to be so mean to her, Darcy!"

Flora looked to the source of that last remark. Now standing beside her was a red haired girl who was staring at Darcy with angry blue eyes.

"It was clearly an accident so your rude remarks were unnecessary," said Bloom as she crossed her arms.

"Whatever. I don't have time to deal with you two right now. I have t meet Riven inside," Darcy said before walking away.

"Are you okay?" asked Bloom, helping Flora back to her feet.

"Yes," Flora replied nervously, "Thank you, Bloom."

"No problem!" the redhead replied with a friendly smile.

"Hey Bloom!" a voice called from a short distance away.

"Be right over, Stella!" Bloom yelled recognizing the voice, "Let's talk later."

"Okay…"

"See ya!"

Flora watched as Bloom ran over to two other girls who were smiling at her. Stella was stunningly beautiful with long golden hair and brown eyes. She was the most popular girl in school, head cheerleader, and not to mention she was dating Brandon- captain of Alfea's basketball team.

Standing to Stella's left was another girl. She had dark skin, long brown hair, and green eyes. Her name was Layla and she was the captain of the swim team and the tennis team. She was also dating a guy named Shawn who was a talented all-around athlete.

Flora let out a sigh before turning away. She slowly ascended the stairs and walked into the Alfea school building. She didn't stop walking until she had reached her locker. Slowly she unzipped her backpack and began putting books into her locker.

"Good morning, Flora."

Flora turned her head to see who it was that had spoken to her. Standing next to her was a girl with short pink hair that was longer on one side and green eyes. Tecna was the top student in their class and student council president. Her locker happened to be next to Flora's and she always greeted her every morning.

"Good morning, Tecna."

"How are you doing this morning?" Tecna asked politely.

"I'm alright," Flora lied with a small smile, "How about you?"

"I'm doing very well, thank you," replied Tecna returning Flora's smile.

"Tecna!" called a masculine voice causing the two girls to look in the speaker's direction.

Running toward them was a boy with short blond hair and blue eyes that resided behind a pair of glasses. Flora immediately recognized him as Timmy. He was student council vice-president, and honor student, and the boyfriend of Tecna.

"Good morning, Timmy!" Tecna greet with a smile as she looked to her boyfriend.

"Good morning, Tecna, Flora," said Timmy who appeared to be in a good mood.

"Hello," Flora said shyly.

"Would you walk with me to homeroom?" Timmy asked his girlfriend, "I need to ask your opinion on something."

"Alright," Tecna agreed. Waving to Flora she said, "See you later, Flora."

Flora watched as the two walked down the hallway until they blended into the other students. Quietly closing her locker she decided it would be a good idea for her to head toward her homeroom as well.

Taking slow, unsteady steps Flora made her way through the groups of students standing around. Being the quiet girl that she was she went pretty much undetected through the bustling halls until she had reached her destination; Room 105- Miss Harrison's Math class.

Taking a few more uneasy steps Flora was able to make it to her seat. Next to her sat a girl who was listening to her cd player. She wore her black hair in pigtails on the top of her head. After a couple of minutes she opened her darkly colored eyes and, noticing Flora, removed her headphones.

"What's up, Flora?" she asked casually.

"Not much. How are you today, Musa?" Flora asked politely.

"Not too bad," Musa replied.

Just then two boys took their seats in at the table in front of the two girls. One was a blond with blue eyes and the other had dark skin, black dreads, and deep brown eyes. The blond was the captain of the soccer team and the boyfriend of Bloom. The other was Layla's boyfriend Shawn.

"Hey Shawn," said Musa causing him to turn and face her.

"What's up, Musa?"

"You should give this track a listen when you get the time," Musa replied as she handed Shawn a cd, "It's my latest track. I think it turned out great."

"Hey Flora," said Sky, startling her, "Seems Musa and Shawn have forgotten about us."

"I guess so…"

"Hey Sky," a feminine voice interrupted.

Sky and Flora looked to the speaker to discover that it was none other than Icy, the most malicious girl in school. Standing to her left was another not-so-charming girl named Stormy.

"What are you talking to that loser for?" asked Stormy disapprovingly.

"What business is it of yours?" Sky retorted with an angry expression.

"Watch who you associate with or you're liable to become a loser yourself," Icy warned before she and Stormy walked to their seats.

"Sorry 'bout that," said Sky apologetically as he turned his attention back to Flora.

"It's okay…" Flora murmured, looking to her hands which were folded neatly on the table in front of her.

Before Sky could reply the bell rang, signifying the start of class. Everyone stopped their chattering and turned to face the front of the room. A few minutes later the teacher entered the room followed by a student that nobody had ever seen before.

"Before we begin class I would like to introduce to you our new student," stated Miss Harrison. Motioning to the unknown boy she continued, "This is Helia."

Helia was a handsome boy who had long black hair and gentle eyes. He was dressed like all the other boys at Alfea wearing a white t-shirt tucked neatly into forest green pants and worn under a matching forest green jacket. Completing the out fit were a black necktie and black dress shoes.

"Hello Helia," the class said in unison.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all," Helia said with a polite smile.

"Let's see…" Miss Harrison said thoughtfully as she scanned the classroom, "You can sit behind Flora."

Following the teacher's gaze Helia started toward his seat. He couldn't help but to smile at Flora as he walked past.

* * *

_Rain Crystal_: Whew! That was a lot of work. I know I could have made it longer but I thought this was a good place to stop. Besides that I am wicked tired right now since I've only gotten a whopping 4 ½ hours of sleep last night. Hope you enjoyed the chapter though! In the next chapter I will introduce Riven and Brandon. Also, Shawn is my original character though I'm sure you figured that out. If you would be so kind as to review I would be really happy. Reviews inspire me to continue writing after all. 


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two **

Flora walked slowly into the girls' locker room. It was third period, Mr. Masters' Physical Education class. Phy Ed had always been Flora's least favorite class not only because she wasn't very athletic but also because everyone targeted her when the class played games like dodge ball. She already had enough bruises from her father as it was but ever since the sixth grade she also had to worry about more bruises from gym class.

Flora released a sigh as she slowly opened gym locker and took out the uniform each student had been given for gym: white t-shirt, deep red shorts, white knee high socks, and with tennis shoes. Carefully she removed the clothing that made up her school uniform, revealing not only her blue floral print bra and matching underwear but her bruises and cuts as well. Fortunately no one ever paid attention to Flora while she was in there and she was able to change without any questions about her battle scars.

Once she had gotten the gym uniform on she took out a red ribbon and tied her hair up in a pony tail so it wouldn't get in her face. She then made her way slowly out of the locker room by herself. As usually, she was the last girl to finish getting dressed and the last person to enter the gym.

Mr. Masters must have been running late as he was nowhere to be seen when she got there. As a result, half of the students were play basketball in small groups. Included in one of these groups was a boy with short brown hair and brown eyes. He was extremely talented at basketball, so much so that he was the captain of Alfea's basketball team. This boy was Brandon, the boyfriend of head cheerleader Stella. They were like the Barbie and Ken couple of Alfea High.

Flora quietly sat down on the bleachers and watched as the boys played ball. Most of the girls were sitting around in the various areas in the gym talking amongst themselves. Tears lined the lonely brunette's eyes as she realized again how different she was from everyone else. Before she had the chance to wipe them away a basketball came flying in her direction. Luckily she was able to duck before it hit her.

"Sorry 'bout that!" called a male voice of the boy who came to retrieve the ball.

Flora looked up to see Riven, one of the most popular boys in school, holding the basketball and looking at her with a concerned expression. Despite the fact that he was playing basketball for a good fifteen minutes his spiky red hair was still intact. He took a seat next to Flora and, to her surprise, started talking to her.

"Are you alright, Flora?" asked Riven noticing how hard Flora was trying not to cry.

"I'm fine…" Flora said quietly, forcing a smile.

"Are you sure?" Riven inquired as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "You look pretty upset."

"Yeah," replied Flora, cringing from the pain caused by the weight of Riven's hand on her bruised shoulder.

"What are you doing, Riven?"

As if just to make things worse for Flora, Darcy was heading in their direction. As everyone knew, Darcy was the girlfriend of Riven but no one could figure out why. Riven, though he had a temper, was a decent guy unlike his girlfriend who was just plain malicious.

"What's the matter, Darcy?" Riven asked, silently wondering to himself why his girlfriend was so upset.

"What do you think is the matter?" demanded Darcy as she crossed her arms in annoyance, "My boyfriend is actually talking to a pathetic loser like Flora. Don't you know how dangerous it is to your reputation, Riven?"

"I don't see what the big deal is," Riven insisted, "Flora looked upset so I thought I'd see what's wrong. What's so horrible about that?"

"It's horrible because no one likes her. She's nothing more than a freakishly quiet-"

"Enough already!" shouted Riven who had heard enough, "If I stop talking to her will stop picking on her already?"

Darcy sighed, "Fine. But I better not catch you talking to her **ever** again. Got that?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Riven replied walking back out to the court where Brandon and some other boys were waiting.

Once he wasn't looking Darcy grabbed Flora by the collar of her shirt and looked her directly in the eye.

"You better stay away from my boyfriend, you little bitch," Darcy said glaring daggers at her victim, "Unless, that is, you enjoy pain, Flora."

"O-okay…" Flora managed as she became more and more intimidated by her aggressor.

"It's time now for your punishment," Darcy said with a twisted smirk.

Fortunately for Flora Mr. Masters came into the gym and blew his whistle loudly before Darcy could connect with her fist. Immediately the room grew silent and all eyes were on their fairly large gym teacher.

"Listen up, maggots!" shouted the booming voice of Mr. Masters, "Since class is half over already you may continue playing basketball."

The class rejoiced until Mr. Masters spoke again.

"Ladies you will play too," he ordered causing all the girls but Flora to groan. Crossing his arms Mr. Masters commanded, "Boys on the left side, girls on the right. Now move!"

The class obeyed their teacher's order, dividing into boys and girls before going to their separate sides. Once that was done teams were chosen and, as usual, Flora was picked last. The captain of the opposing team happened to be Darcy which frightened Flora a bit.

The game went on without any sign that Darcy would hurt her. As the period progressed Darcy's team was beating Flora's by ten points. No one seemed to want to pass the ball to Flora which was fine with her. That just mean she wouldn't have the opportunity to screw up for her team.

However, with five minutes left of class, one of the girls on the opposing team tripped Flora causing her to fall flat on her face.

"What a klutz!" exclaimed Darcy causing the other girls around them to laugh.

Slowly Flora began to pick herself up, pushing away the pain she felt from both the fall and being laughed at by the others. When she was about halfway up Darcy threw the basketball at her, hitting the quiet girl in the face.

"That's what you get for trying to talk to **my** Riven," Darcy stated maliciously as the other girls continued to laugh at Flora's misfortune.

The bell rang signifying the end of class. All of the students ran to the locker rooms to change. Once Flora had reached the locker room she immediately shut herself into the attached bathroom to wash her face. Looking in the mirror she could see that she was bleeding from the nose but fortunately it wasn't broken. Staring at herself in the mirror, Flora lingered in the bathroom waiting for the other girls to get changed and leave. She could hear them making fun of her causing the poor girl to cry silently.

In the time that it took for the other girls to clear the locker room Flora's nose had stopped bleeding. Slowly she washed her face again before heading out into the locker room to change.

**-In the Cafeteria-**

It was now lunch time at Alfea High much to the delight of the school's students. Everyone gathered into their little cliques to sit and talk while they ate their lunches. Sitting at the table in the center of the room was Stella's clique which consisted of herself, Bloom, Layla, Musa, and Tecna. Two tables down sat Brandon's group consisting of himself, Sky, Shawn, and Timmy. Riven would have been sitting there too if Darcy hadn't insisted that he sat at her table in the far corner of the room with herself, Icy, and Stormy. Riven looked completely out of place at that table not only because he was the only boy but also because he actually ate food while the three girls simply drank a can of diet soda for lunch.

Flora sat by herself at one of the tables and, unlike most of the other students, was forced to endure the school's food. Today Flora had a book spread across the table and was reading it intently. She was so busy absorbing the content of its pages that she nearly jumped when some one spoke to her.

"Is this seat taken?"

Flora quickly looked up to see Helia standing across the table from her holding a tray of Alfea High's poisonous cafeteria food. He was smiling sweetly at her, giving Flora a warm feeling that she had never experienced before. Without realizing it, the pretty brunette was blushing lightly.

"No, please have a seat."

Helia gently set his tray down on the table before taking his seat across the table from Flora. After a few moments he noticed the book that she was reading and decided to break the silence lingering between them.

"What book are you reading, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh… It's just a book on botany," Flora replied nervously.

"Is studying botany one of you hobbies?" inquired Helia displaying interest.

"Yes. I love learning about and raising all kinds of different plants," Flora replied.

"With a name like 'Flora' I suppose it's only natural," stated Helia with a smile.

"How about you, Helia?" Flora asked politely, "What are your hobbies?"

"Well, my interests lie in the various forms of art. I heard that Alfea has an excellent Fine Arts program before I transferred so I was excited," stated Helia.

"Do you want to be a professional artist?" asked a very interested Flora.

"Yes. Perhaps you could be my muse?" Helia teased.

"Maybe," Flora replied with a slight blush.

Helia poked at the mystery meat on his tray as Flora returned to her book. While he was eating, Helia couldn't help but to stare at his companion. He thought that she was quite beautiful and was relieved to see that her beauty wasn't only skin deep. She seemed very sweet and down to earth, nothing like any of the other girls Helia had dated in the past.

"Is something wrong, Helia?" Flora inquired, noticing his gaze.

"No, not at all," Helia replied, "I apologize if I've offended you in any way."

"No! No! I'm not offended at all!" Flora cried nervously.

"I'm glad."

Glancing at the clock that hung on the cafeteria wall, Flora began gathering her things together.

"We should probably head to our lockers and prepare for our next classes," stated Flora as she rose to her feet.

"You're probably right," agreed Helia realizing what time it was, "It was nice talking to you, Flora."

"It was nice speaking with you too, Helia."

After that final exchange the two walked out of the cafeteria and went their separate ways.

* * *

_Rain Crystal_: Chapter two is now complete! I feel so bad for tormenting Flora like this but she fits the part too perfectly to not write it. 

I'm in a good place as far as my writing is concerned and should hopefully have the next chapter up soon. With hope it will be the last chapter about Helia's first day at Alfea. In the meantime please review! Also a **HUGE** thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter, I really appreciate the feedback!


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three **

Drawing Class. This was one of Flora's favorite classes of the day, the other being Literature which she had third period. Drawing was Flora's last class of the day, meaning she'd be able to end the day on a good note before having to go home later. Flora sat quietly at her table taking out her supplies while the other students filed into the classroom.

One of the students entering the room was Helia. Scanning the room for a place to sit he noticed Flora sitting at a table by herself.

_I wonder why it is that ever time I see Flora she's sitting by herself?_

Helia decided that he should keep Flora company and headed directly for her table. Halfway there he was stopped by Icy who had stepped into his path.

"Hello Helia," she said with a smile.

"Um… Hello?" Helia replied, slightly puzzled.

"Icy's the name," replied Icy to the implied question, "You're looking for a place to sit, right?"

"Well, actually-"

"Come sit at our table," Icy interrupted pointing to a table where Stormy and Darcy sat.

"But I was thinking that I could sit by Flora, seeing as she's all by herself," said Helia uneasily.

"You don't want to associate with Flora, trust me," insisted Icy with a frown.

"Why not?"

"It's reputational suicide," Icy stated simply, "Come on, sit at our table."

"Actually, I'll pass," replied Helia taken aback by what Icy had said about Flora, "I think I'll sit by Flora."

"Ha! Suit yourself," said Icy with a shrug before going to join Stormy and Darcy at their table.

Once Icy was out of his path, Helia made his way to the table where Flora sat. Gently setting down his supplies he took a seat across the table. Immediately the brunette looked up, her green eyes meeting Helia's.

"H-hello Helia," she murmured as she began blushing a little.

"Hello Flora," Helia replied with a friendly smile, "Nice to see you again."

Before Flora could reply the bell rang. Standing in the center of the room was the art teacher, Ms. Yamin, twirling a drawing pencil between her fingers.

"Alright class," Ms. Yamin began as she stopped twirling her pencil, "Take a good look at the person sitting across from you."

The class did as she asked. When Flora looked at Helia he smiled cutely causing her to blush.

"I hope you're all comfortable with that person because today and tomorrow you will be drawing portraits of each other," explained Ms. Yamin, "You will have to decide amongst yourself who is drawing today and who will be drawing tomorrow. The rest of the period is yours."

"If you wouldn't mind, I would like to draw first," requested Helia with a hopeful expression.

"Um, okay…"

"Looks like I've found my muse," stated Helia with a playful smile.

"How would you like me to pose?" Flora asked nervously.

"However you like just so long as you are comfortable."

Flora thought for a moment. She then left her seat and found an empty spot on the floor. Carefully she sat down. She sat up straight and loosely wrapped her arms around her knees. She gently laid her head on her knees and looked at Helia with a melancholy smile. Helia smiled and nodded his approval.

"Alright. I'll do my best to fully capture your full beauty."

Carefully Helia began to work, glancing at his muse then drawing lines and curves taking care to make sure everything was in proportion.

In another corner of the room Brandon was drawing Stella's portrait. The blonde was in a position similar to half plank (a yoga pose) resting her weight on right forearm, her head looking upward, with her left hand in her hair.

Brandon smiled as he noticed that the portrait was actually looking quite good. Originally he hadn't wanted to take a drawing class but Stella had looked at some of the doodles in his Chemistry notebook and insisted he take a drawing class with her. At first he had really hated it but he was now beginning to enjoy it. Besides, right now he had the opportunity to stare at his beautiful girlfriend.

Another boy was also forced into taking this class by his girlfriend. Riven frowned once he'd heard Ms. Yamin announce that day's assignment. That meant that he would have to draw Darcy's portrait. Fortunately she chose a simple pose. Still sitting at the table they shared with Stormy and Icy, she rested one arm across the table while resting her chin on the back of the opposite hand. The expression on her face was one of extreme boredom.

Only a short distance away Icy was doing Stormy's portrait. Stormy was standing with one foot turned out and her opposite hand on her hip while her other hand rested freely at her side. Her face held an evil grin.

After what seemed like an eternity for those who were forced to remain still the bell rang to release class. That bell also meant the end of the school day and that the students of Alfea were finally free to go home or to various after school activities.

Flora began gathering up her things. Once she had finished she noticed that she and Helia were the only ones left in the room. She was very surprised by this and wondered if perhaps he was waiting for her.

"I thought I would wait for you," Helia stated, noticing the puzzled look on the brunette's face.

"Sorry I took so long," Flora apologized, "I'm ready to leave now."

"Don't you want to see it first?"

"Huh?"

"The picture," Helia replied, "Don't you want to see it?"

"Sure."

Helia opened his sketch pad and handed it to Flora. Carefully she took it and looked at the portrait. Helia had caught each and every detail and his shading technique really helped to make the picture look alive although it was black and white. Everything was perfectly reflected, even the sadness that had been present in her green eyes despite the fact that she had been smiling.

"I think you made me look prettier than I actually am," stated Flora with a fragile smile.

"Do you?" Helia asked with an amused smile, "Well I think that this portrait doesn't do your beauty justice."

Flora blushed at the compliment. Normally people never gave her a second look unless they were trying to pick on her. But for some reason Helia was trying to be genuinely nice to her.

"May I walk you to your locker?" Helia offered.

"Um… well…" Flora stammered blushing furiously.

"Come on, it'll be nice."

"Okay…"

Helia smiled as he gestured for Flora to lead the way. The two walked out of the classroom and quietly down the hallway. Flora didn't know what to say to her companion so she remained silent. She didn't say a word until they reached her locker.

"Here's my locker," Flora said quietly.

"Alright. It was nice spending time with you," Helia said with a smile, "See you tomorrow, Flora."

Flora was unable to say anything as she watched Helia head toward his locker. As she did she realized that his locker had been in the opposite direction. She blushed when she realized that he had gone out of his way to walk with her.

"Helia seems to have taken a liking to you already," observed Tecna as she opened her locker to gather the materials needed to do her homework.

"What do you mean?" Flora asked innocently as she too opened her locker.

"You mean you haven't noticed?" Tecna inquired in surprise.

"Noticed… what?"

"Helia tries to talk to you every opportunity he gets," Tecna explained, "I think it's very sweet."

Flora blushed for the umpteenth time realizing what Tecna said was true. She gathered some books and notebooks as she continued thinking about Helia. Tecna smiled as she looked to her neighbor and noticed that she was smiling for once.

"You like him too, don't you?"

"What?" Flora asked in shock, "Why would you think that?"

"For starters you're blushing," Tecna teased.

"Oh!" exclaimed Flora, blushing even more brightly.

"There's no need to be embarrassed," the pink haired girl said with a chuckle, "Talking to him seems to make you happy. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Tecna!"

The two girls turned to see Timmy walking toward them. Tecna closed her locker and turned back to her boyfriend with a smile. Flora figured it was a smile the pink haired girl reserved for Timmy judging by how radiant it seemed.

"Are you ready?" Timmy inquired with an equally radiant smile.

"Yes," replied Tecna with a nod. Looking to Flora one last time she said, "See you tomorrow, Flora."

"Yeah… See you guys tomorrow," Flora responded quietly.

"Later Flora!" Timmy called as he and Tecna headed for the exit.

Flora sighed as she finished putting books into her backpack. She quietly closed her locker and turned to walk toward the exit. About halfway down the hall she was unexpectedly stopped by Riven.

"Flora can I talk to you a minute?"

"Um… Okay," Flora replied nervously.

"I wanted to apologize for the way Darcy treated you in gym today," said Riven with a frown, "She had no right to say those things about you."

"It's alright…" Flora replied, lowering her gaze to look at her shoes.

"It's not okay for people to treat you like dirt," Riven insisted, causing Flora to look back up at him, "You're a person just like the rest of us."

"Riven…?"

"Look Flora, I'm not just going to stand by and watch as people push you around," stated Riven softening his expression slightly, "I'll have your back from now on."

"You don't have to do that…" Flora said in a shame softened voice.

"I know I don't _have_ to but I _want_ to," Riven replied insistently, "Come on, let me drive you home to make up for Darcy's behaviour."

"I don't know…" said Flora uneasily.

"I know Darcy told me not to talk to you and I'll deal with her later. Just trust me, okay?"

"Okay," Flora submitted.

Riven smiled as he lead her toward the student parking lot. A lot of people were staring but Riven didn't seem to care. In fact, he took Flora's hand as they walked through the parking lot toward his car.

* * *

_Rain Crystal_: Here ya go, another chapter for your entertainment. Hope you liked it! Listening to music by Flyleaf helped to keep me inspired. Many thanks to everyone who reviewed and added this story to their faves and/or alerts. You guys fricken rock! Please keep those reviews coming, they help to keep me motivated and inspired. 


	5. Chapter 4

_Rain Crystal_: Sorry for the long wait! I've been fairly busy lately so it took me longer to get this up. Hopefully this was worth the wait- I'll let you decide.

Thank you to all those who reviewed: dragondreamer99, 123 music rocks, SlvrTempest, n8uregirl, PhoebeTheQueenOfDragons, eva smith, Ducklin, and Jadei123. You guys rock!

And to answer the question of 'is this a FloraRiven fic?' the answer is no. This is a FloraHelia fic, Riven is just really fed up with the way people are treating Flora for no apparent reason. I do like FloraRiven but not for this fic. I may be leaning toward MusaRiven in the future thought.

One more thing before I get to the chappie here: does anyone else love Ville Valo? He's so deep…

Sorry… On to the story…

* * *

**Chapter Four **

Flora stared silently at herself in the bathroom mirror. Staring back at her was a 17 year old girl wearing only her baby pink bra and white bikini panties. The girl's exotically tan colored skin bore many dark bruises and several cut marks, a few of which were still bleeding yet. Silent tears fell from sorrowful green eyes as Flora was forced to see the proof that she was anything but normal. Slowly the mirror began to fog up as the bath tub filled with hot water.

Removing her bra and panties, Flora gently eased into the steaming hot water. Though it stung her wounds after a couple minutes she was able to lay her head back and relaxed. She replayed the morning's events in her mind as she closed her eyes to block out the sight of the bathroom ceiling.

Flashback

As usual Flora laid in the darkness of her bedroom staring at the ceiling, her mind racing with thoughts of pain and of death. It was these frightful thoughts that constantly kept her awake at night trembling and crying. The difference this time was that she was able to will her eyes closed at some point and when she did she saw an image of Helia smiling at her.

Unfortunately that image was robbed of her when she heard the sound of her door being flung open and heavy footsteps coming her way. Her eyes flew open just in time to see the angry look on her father's face as he pulled her up by the collar of her pajama top.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?!" shouted the angry voice of her father.

Flora had no idea what he had meant and was to frightened to say even one word in response. Since she didn't say anything her father slapped her hard across the face causing heavy tears to escape her eyes.

"Who was that boy you rode home with?" demanded her father as he shook her violently.

"H-his name is Riven…" Flora stammered becoming more and more frightened by the moment.

"So his name is Riven, eh?" the man replied throwing his daughter against a wall, "And for what reason did this Riven give you a ride home?"

"I-I don't know…" Flora replied, closing her eyes tightly.

"He isn't your boyfriend is he?"

The eerie way that her father said the word 'boyfriend' caused Flora to shudder. She knew full well that she wasn't permitted to have a boyfriend and even if her father hadn't told her that she couldn't she still wouldn't want to trouble any guy with her secret burden.

"No, sir."

"Of course not," her father said mockingly, "Who would ever want to date a piece of trash like _you_?"

After that Flora could hear the sound of footsteps heading in the direction of her bedroom door. She breathed a sigh of relief thinking that it was over. Sadly, she was mistaken. Unable to move, Flora laid motionless on the floor as she listened to the quickening steps coming in her direction. The next thing she knew she felt the force of his foot striking her stomach and this action was repeated several times over until she finally threw up blood. Next was the slicing pain of a pocket knife slashing the now exposed skin of her torso.

The next thing she remembered was regaining consciousness on her bedroom floor naked and cold. Though her father didn't rape her she felt just as violated as she might have had he actually done it. Slowly she picked herself up, using the wall to maintain her balance. Looking at her clock she realized it was 5 a.m. Though classes at Alfea didn't begin until 8 a.m. Flora decided to gather her clothing and take a bath so that there would be no sign of blood from the beating she'd received.

Quickly putting on a bra and panties she headed out of her room and to the upstairs bathroom.

End Flashback

And now here she was lying in the steaming water of her bath trying to push out the pain. Carefully Flora reached for her body wash and bloodstained loofa so that she could begin cleansing her injured body. She held her breath as the body wash stung in her open cuts. Once this painful task was complete Flora reached for her shampoo. Squeezing the lavender scented liquid into her hand she began washing the blood out of her long hair. She then repeated this action with the conditioner before wrapping her hair in a towel.

Leaning her head on the wall she thought about the events of the day before. She thought about the conversation she'd had with Riven after school and the ride home. She thought about Bloom standing up to Darcy for her and about Sky standing up to Icy. But her thoughts quickly focused on Helia. She remembered that Tecna had said that he'd tried to talk to her every chance he could and wondered why he would do that. As she pondered this the image of his smiling face came into her mind.

_What am I doing? I can't get close to Helia! If I did my father…_

Slowly Flora rose to her feet and carefully stepped out of the bathtub. She gently patted herself dry trying hard not to open any of her wounds, new or old. Once the time consuming task was complete the battered girl began pulling on the various items of clothing that made up the Alfea uniform. She then sat her tired frame on the lid of the toilet and began the lengthy process of blow drying her hair.

Realizing that she had taken longer than she'd initially thought to finish in the bathroom she ran to her room and grabbed her backpack before toward the stairs. As if to add to her misfortune Flora tripped and fell all the way down the stairs. Picking herself up from the floor and dusting herself off, Flora continued through her house and out the doorway into the rain.

Flora sighed heavily as she dragged her broken body through the rain toward the Alfea school building. She had a feeling from the beginning that her day was going to be miserable and judging by the weather things would probably just continue to go down hill for her. After a few long minutes she could've sworn that she'd heard someone call her name but immediately dismissed it as a figment of her imagination.

"Hey Flora!"

This time Flora couldn't deny that someone was calling to her as she could here the sound of footsteps splashing off the rain soaked ground growing ever closer to her. Deciding it was the polite thing to do, Flora stopped where she was and turned to face the person calling for her. She was surprised to see Layla running in her direction holding a purple colored umbrella.

"What is it, Layla?"

"I noticed that you didn't have an umbrella," Layla pointed out now standing next to Flora so that she was also under the umbrella, "I thought that we could walk to school together and share my umbrella."

"Th-thank you," Flora stammered with a weak smile.

"Don't worry about it," Layla replied with her own smile.

The two girls walked the few blocks to Alfea in silence. Well at least until a car splashed them as the driver slowed down and honked the horn. The two looked over to see who was seemingly stalking them.

"Hey ladies! Need a ride?" inquired Shawn who was trying very hard not to laugh at the soaking wet girls.

"You owe it to us since you've taken the liberty of getting us soaking wet," replied Layla with an angry frown.

Shawn finally released the laughter he was holding in causing Layla to glare at him before getting into the car. Flora followed and the three teens drove off to Alfea.

* * *

On the other side of town Sky was also driving to Alfea. Riding in the passenger's seat was Helia who Sky had offered a ride because they lived next door to one another. The two had been silent for the last five minutes and after another long minute Helia decided to speak.

"Why is Flora always by herself?"

"Flora tends to keep to herself most of the time," Sky replied thoughtfully, "She seems very apprehensive all the time but I don't really know why."

"Do you think it has to do with the way people treat her?" Helia questioned.

"Could be," replied Sky with a frown, "Personally I don't approve of it. Icy and her friends seem to be the worst when it comes to bullying Flora."

"Doesn't anyone try to act in her defense?"

"Most people don't but I know that Bloom and I try to stand up for her whenever we see that some one's bullying her."

Helia frowned as he let Sky's words sink in. He still couldn't understand how people could be so cruel to Flora and it was even more upsetting that seemingly no one wanted to do anything about it.

_Every one person makes a difference so I will not give up_, Helia thought with a determined expression on his face.

It was at that moment that Sky pulled into the student parking lot.

* * *

"Th-thank you for the ride, Shawn," Flora said politely as she stepped out of the car.

"No problem," replied Shawn before looking to his girlfriend, "Hey Layla, how about sharing your umbrella?"

"Sure," Layla replied as she walked toward Flora, "I'll share it with Flora."

"But I gave you a ride."

"You also got us soaked," retorted Layla. Then looking to Flora she said, "Let's go, Flora."

"Um… okay."

The two began walking toward the Alfea building with Shawn dragging behind them. It wasn't long before Layla and Shawn noticed how wobbly Flora's steps were causing the group to stop a short distance from the door.

"Are you alright, Flora?" asked a concerned Layla.

"I'm fine," Flora lied with a fake smile despite how sore she truly was.

"You look pretty banged up to me," stated Shawn, noticing that her hair was slightly messy and that her uniform was as well.

"Maybe you should see the school nurse," suggested Layla growing more concerned.

"That won't be necessary," Flora insisted nervously, "I just tripped on my way out the door."

"Are you sure?" Layla persisted.

"Yeah."

"I want you to make me a promise, Flora."

"What is it, Layla?" inquired a surprised Flora.

"I want you to promise me that if you ever are in trouble that you will talk to some one about it," Layla requested earnestly, "You can talk to me and I'm sure you can talk to Bloom too."

"Erm… You can talk to me too," Shawn added dutifully.

"O-okay. Thank you…" replied Flora as she tried to cover her sadness with a polite smile. She hated to lie to them like this but she had no choice if she didn't want them to get involved.

Once the matter was settled the three teens entered the Alfea building and went their separate ways. Flora dragged herself toward her locker very relieved that Layla and Shawn hadn't questioned her further. Pushing aside the pain the battered teen finally arrived at her destination and slowly turned the dial on the green colored locker. She let out a heavy sigh as she pulled the door open and began transferring the contents of her backpack into her locker.

"That was a heavy sigh," observed Tecna who had just closed her locker, "Is something wrong?"

"N-no!" exclaimed a startled Flora, "Nothing's wrong at all."

"Are you sure? You seem a bit jumpy," Tecna stated with a skeptical expression.

"Yes, I'm fine. Honest!"

"Alright," said Tecna though she didn't fully believe her neighbor, "However is something were wrong you can talk to me about it."

"Thank you, Tecna," Flora replied with a tentative smile.

"I should be going now. Wouldn't want to be late for class," stated Tecna with a smile, "Besides I have to find Timmy."

"I should be going too," Flora said as she closed her locker and hugged her books to her chest.

"Talk to you later, Flora."

"See you later, Tecna."

With that final exchange the two girls went their separate ways, Tecna toward Timmy's locker and Flora toward her homeroom.

* * *

_Rain Crystal_: That's were I'm going to stop for now. In the whirl of things going on around me I kind of got stuck so I hope that you'll forgive me. I'll try to make the next one better. The scene(s) where Layla shares her umbrella with Flora were somewhat inspired by the Rihanna song _Umbrella_.

(singing) _You can stand under my umbrella, ella, ella_ (stops singing)

Anyhow, please review and I'll try to update as soon as I can. Thank you!


	6. Chapter 5

_Rain Crystal_: Yay! Here's another chappie for you guys. I've been sick lately but I knew you guys were waiting for this so I didn't stop writing. I kept inspired by listening to Avril Lavigne.

Of course I was also inspired to keep this up by all of the wonderful reviews that I received last chapter. My thanks to PhoebeTheQueenOfDragons, Ducklin, amber, Mystical Aquafina, n8uregirl, gigikwinxfan, and InOcEnT-schoolgirl for reviewing. This is for you guys.

Enough of my yapping and on to the story…

* * *

**Chapter Five **

When Flora reached Miss Harrison's room all of the other students were already seated and making conversation with one another. A wave of relief washed over her since that meant no one would notice her if she were to stumble. Slowly she made her way across the room and toward her table. Once she had reached her seat she noticed that Shawn and Musa were discussing the dark haired girl's latest studio recordings and that the Trix, as Icy's group was called, were too busy to notice her. What she failed to notice was that Helia was standing by Sky's table and was now looking at her.

"Good morning, Flora," he greeted with a friendly smile.

Flora almost shrieked at the unexpected greeting but was able to force a smile. At this point Sky had turned to face her as well with a friendly smile on his face.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, guys," Flora returned quietly.

"How are you today?" Helia asked in an attempt to make conversation.

"I'm fine…" Flora murmured wearily, "And you?"

As if on cue, the bell rang causing Helia to return to his seat. As he passed Flora he smiled sweetly so that she knew that he wasn't ignoring her.

* * *

Meanwhile on the other side of the school Layla was sitting in Mr. Krull's Biology class. Luckily for the dark skinned girl, most of the class was failing or behind on their work so they had received a work day from the annoyed teacher. Layla was one of the few students who was actually passing so this ended up being nothing more than a study hall. That was a good thing since she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with Flora.

"Is something wrong, Layla?"

Sitting at the same table as Layla was Bloom. She had noticed the uneasy expression on her friend's face and thought she'd want to talk about it.

"I don't think this is the best place to talk about it," replied the distraught girl, "I'll talk about it later."

"Okay," said Bloom with a caring smile.

Silence fell between the two after that exchange. Well… it was silent until a certain blonde joined them at their table.

"Hey girls!" Stella exclaimed with a smile as she took a seat at the table, "You guys aren't busy tonight, are ya?"

Both Layla and Bloom shook their heads causing the blonde's smile to brighten.

"Perfect! I'm having a party at my place and was hoping you would come," Stella explained. After a moment of thought she added, "I was thinking of asking Flora to come too. She needs to get out more."

"I think that would be an excellent idea," Bloom said enthusiastically.

"It might help her to open up more," added Layla who was still thinking about earlier.

"You're right!" agreed Stella becoming more enthusiastic about her decision, "It'll give her confidence a major boost."

"Don't you think it would be adorable if Helia asked her to be his date?" inquired Bloom.

"He does seem genuinely charming and she's really shy," Stella said thoughtfully. Her smile returning she said, "I think he's just the type of guy a girl like Flora needs."

While Bloom and Stella were discussing the idea of matchmaking Helia and Flora Layla was busily scribbling something on a blank piece of paper. Once she was finished she placed her pen on the table and carefully folded the paper. It was at that moment that her friends had noticed the lengthy silence of the dark skinned girl.

"Is that for Shawn?" Stella teased, guessing that it was a note of some kind.

"No," Layla replied before turning her attention to Bloom, "You'll see Flora third period, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Could you give this to her for me?" requested Layla holding the folded paper out to the red head.

"Sure."

The bell rang, dismissing students from their first class of the day. The girls gathered their things and headed for the door; Stella smiling, Layla frowning, and Bloom trying to figure out why her friend was upset.

* * *

The students of Alfea filed through the seemingly endless halls, some going to their lockers while others were already heading toward their next class. Flora stumbled slowly to her locker where she stood for a moment with her hand on the cool green surface. After about a minute the girl opened the locker and deposited her books and closed it quietly before leaving it behind.

She sighed lightly. She didn't want to go to Phy Ed but she knew she had no choice. One foot in front of the other, Flora finally made it to the gym. Once she was half way through the room she was startled by the sound of angry voices. Resting on the wall she turned her attention to the people who were arguing.

Standing in the center of the room were Riven and Darcy. Both of them looked angry enough to kill the other. Darcy stood with her hands on her hips while Riven stood with his arms crossed.

"What did I tell you about talking to Flora?" demanded Darcy irately.

"See? There you go again trying to control everything!" shouted Riven furiously, "If I want to be friends with Flora that's my decision, not yours!"

"Why would you do such a thing? Don't you care about your reputation?" the green haired girl exclaimed as she continued to interrogate her boyfriend.

"Not particularly! I'm more interested in having friends who actually care about more than who likes them and who doesn't. Friends like that are more concerned with who they can use or stab in the back to get what they want and I don't want any of it. That's why," Riven explained. He took a deep breath before continuing, "That's why it's over, Darcy."

"Are you breaking up with me?!" demanded Darcy indignantly.

"What else would 'it's over' mean?"

"You'll be sorry, Riven," threatened Darcy. Noticing Flora she added, "And so will your new girlfriend."

After saying that Darcy made her way over to where Flora stood leaning on the wall. An evil smile formed on her face as she came to a stop a few inches from the frightened brunette.

"You must be very proud of yourself. Thanks to you Riven broke up with me and dragged his reputation through the mud."

"I-I…"

"Shut up!" the cruel girl shouted before slapping her victim across the face, "I told you I'd punish you if you dared to speak with Riven."

"Leave her alone!" Riven exclaimed, pulling Darcy away from Flora, "If you don't like her that's fine but there's no need to take it this far!"

"Whatever," Darcy replied, breaking away from his grip, "You're just as pathetic as the new guy."

Having spoken her piece Darcy walked toward the bleachers to talk to some of the more popular girls in the class. Meanwhile Riven turned his attention to Flora who was still trembling.

"Are you alright, Flora?"

"Y-yes," Flora replied almost too quickly.

"Are you sure?" Riven asked, traces of skepticism evident in his voice.

"Yeah," Flora lied with a forced smile, "I better go change for class."

"You're not in any shape to participate today."

"What?"

"You look too tired and worn to participate," Riven elaborated after making his assessment, "Just sit out today."

"But that will effect my grade!" the brunette cried worriedly.

"Just slightly. It's not like you're going to fail just because you sat one day out," stated the red haired boy firmly, "Just sit out today, okay?"

"Fine…" Flora surrendered.

Mr. Masters blew his whistle to get the class's attention. Flora's heart pounded as the teacher went over the day's activity and began assigning teams. If this lowered her grade from an 'A' she was doomed.

* * *

_Rain Crystal_: Go Riven! I hate it when people are more interested in their popularity than the people who stand beside them. Popularity is fine but only if you were able to obtain it without sacrificing your friends to do so. Also once again I'm going to say that this is NOT a RivenFlora fic, that fact has not changed. They are just friends… well if Flora allows him in they'd be just friends.

I guess that's it for now. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon but in the meantime please review.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six **

* * *

_Rain Crystal_: I'm back! I'm very sorry that it's taken so long to update this story! I've been fairly busy lately so I haven't been able to work on all of my stories as much as I'd like. I've also been trying to read for some other people too. Anyhow, I apologize for making you wait over a month for an update… PhoebeTheQueenOfDragons even pmed me to request an update. I'm glad that people love this story that much. Again sorry for the lengthy delay, I will do my best to update faster.

As usual I will happily thank the people who were kind enough to give me feedback last chapter. My thanks to Alavigne13, PhoebeTheQueenOfDragons, Federica, SlvrTempest, EvaSilvia, TwlightatMidnight, animeprincess, Champion of Justice, riyarules, n8uregirl, Krystal, Mystical Aquafina, and gigikwinxfan.

Onward now to the story…

* * *

"_You must be very proud of yourself. Thanks to you Riven broke up with me and dragged his reputation through the mud."_

Flora was safely sitting in Miss Lee's classroom but that didn't stop the situation from Phy Ed from playing through her mind for the one millionth time. She hadn't expected Riven to break up with Darcy over the fact that he had chosen to speak to her. No, instead she figured that he would just ignore her and go on with his life as usual.

"Are you listening, Flora?" Miss Lee's voice demanded, interrupting the girl's thoughts.

"Y-yes, Miss Lee!" Flora exclaimed nervously before bowing her head in shame, "I'm sorry…"

The rest of the class broke into hysterical laughter causing Flora to feel even worse about the situation. She blinked her eyes furiously in an attempt to rid herself of the tears that lined them. After about a minute of this she was able to look back up at Miss Lee who had continued her recap on the different styles of poetry.

"Your assignment for tomorrow is to write your own poem. You have the remainder of the class to work on your poems," stated Miss Lee before going to sit at her desk.

Flora turned to a blank page in her English notebook and took out a pencil. She stared quietly at its blank face unsure of what to write. She concentrate hard but still came up with nothing. While she continued this fruitless labor a ball of crumpled paper hit her in the back of the head. She did her best to ignore it until it happened again.

Just as she was about to turn her head to see just who had thrown those balls at her the bell rang, signaling that is was time for lunch. Flora stood up and gathered her supplies together. She turned to walk toward the exit and was greeted by a paper ball to the face. Flora sighed as her eyes met the eyes of the culprit.

"What are you staring at, loser?" demanded Stormy, furrowing her brow.

"Sorry Stormy…"

"That's what I thought," the temperamental girl replied before making her way out of the room.

Flora sighed again before heading toward the door herself.

* * *

Helia and Sky entered the double doors of the cafeteria. The two had just come from their Painting class and were discussing the current projects. They would have talked forever had it not been for an interruption.

"Hey guys!" Stella exclaimed as she ran toward them.

"Hey Stella," Sky greeted her with a friendly smile.

"Hello," said Helia, smiling politely.

"You guys don't have any plans for tonight, do ya?"

"Not that I can think of," replied Sky.

"Not presently," replied Helia.

"Great! You'll be able to go to my party tonight," Stella said excitedly, "It starts at 7 and dress casually."

"Uh… okay…" Sky managed uneasily.

"See ya there!" the head cheerleader shouted over her shoulder as she ran off toward her table.

Helia and Sky exchanged glances before parting ways. Sky went to sit at Brandon's table while Helia's eyes searched the cafeteria for Flora. He finally spotted her sitting by herself reading a blue piece of paper. He made a mental note of her location before getting in line to receive the day's mystery meal.

Flora thought she had felt someone's eyes on her for a brief moment but had immediately dismissed it as her imagination. She shifted her focus back to the piece of paper in her hand. Bloom had given it to her third period and said it was a note from Layla. It felt strange to receive a note from anyone since she basically had no friends. Regardless she read it to see what it was Layla had to say.

_Flora,_

_I'm writing this note because I'm very concerned about you. I know you promised that you would talk to somebody if you were in trouble but I can't shake the feeling that something is terribly wrong. I wanted to let you know that I am here for you and I am urging you to seek help if you're in trouble. Here is my number in case you need to talk. - _(Rain Crystal: I know that if I put a number here someone is bound to be foolish enough to see if it works)

_Hope to talk to you soon._

_Layla_

Flora's heart began to race in her chest after reading the note. She truly did appreciate that Layla cared enough to do something so kind but it frightened the brunette that someone else might end up involved with her troubled life.

"Hey Flora!" exclaimed a voice interrupting her thoughts.

Flora's head snapped up to see who it was that had addressed her and when she did her eyes widened in shock. The person now sitting across the table from her was none other than Stella.

"Oh, hi Stella…"

"Hey, don't look so glum! You'd look a lot cuter if you smiled every once in a while," stated Stella as she rested her chin on the back of her hand, "Do you think you'd like to come sit at my table today?"

"Well… um…" Flora stammered nervously.

"There's no need to be so shy, you're more than welcome to join us."

"Well…"

"Come on," urged Stella with a friendly smile.

"Okay."

Rising unsteadily to her feet Flora and followed Stella to her table. Stella took her usual seat at the 'head' of the table and motioned for Flora to take the empty seat beside Layla, across from Bloom. All of the girls smiled warmly at their new companion.

Standing a short distance from the table at which Flora usually sat was Helia. He was disappointed when he realized he wouldn't get to sit with her that day but at the same time he was happy. He was glad that someone had made the effort to talk to Flora and to accept her as a person and potential member of her group. Helia smiled to himself.

"Looks like you've no place to sit."

Helia turned his stare away from Stella's table to look to the person who had just spoken to him. Riven smiled back at him before speak once again.

"I suppose you'll have to sit by us today," the redhead offered, gesturing toward Brandon's table.

"Sounds good to me."

Once Helia had agreed Riven led the way to Brandon's table where he was greeted with welcoming smiles.

From their table at the corner of the cafeteria the Trix witnessed these events. They were all somewhat nauseous by what they had seen but Darcy was obviously the most unhappy. She angrily slammed her soda can onto the table, slightly startling both Icy and Stormy.

"Are you alright?" inquired Stormy.

"Let's see… my boyfriend dumped me because of that pathetic little bitch Flora. Yeah, I'm great," Darcy snapped aggressively.

"I understand your frustration, Darcy," Icy stated calmly. A grin spread over her lips as she continued, "But why get mad when you can get even?"

"What are you suggesting?" asked both Stormy and Darcy hastily.

"Well we know that Barbie is having a party tonight and that she's planning on inviting the loser, right? Well…"

Icy explained her plan to her friends. Once she was finished the others grinned their approval.

* * *

_Rain Crystal_: Uh-oh… What horrible plan could Icy have to make Flora more miserable than she already is? Will Flora even go to the party? You'll just have to wait and see. Hopefully the wait won't be near as long for the next chapter. I thank you for sticking with me and I hope you will continue to do so. Please review to let me know how well (or not well) I'm doing. Thanks again! 


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven **

* * *

_Rain Crystal_: I'm not dead! I know it's been too long since I've updated and I offer my sincerest apologies. I know I keep saying that I'll try to update faster, and I am, but sometimes it gets to be a bit difficult. Still I feel I should apologize for the lengthy delay. Anyone who is sticking this out deserves a medal!

On that note I would like to thank my many lovely reviewers. A HUGE thanks to TwlightatMidnight, PhoebeTheQueenOfDragons, EvaSilvia, SlvrTempest, Mystical Aquafina, Jadei123, kagster, Alavigne13, InOcEnT-schoolgirl, n8uregirl, hansbmd, double-trouble-no1, Bloom1000000, Armaan, Reader, smiles420, anna custis, Levianore-AtthaZala, and Ballad.AsuCaga.

Now without further ado…

* * *

It was 6:30 in the evening meaning that Stella's party was only half an hour from starting. Flora was currently standing in front of her mirror examining the outfit she had chosen for herself. This outfit consisted of faded piper jeans with a white tank top. She would have been satisfied with this if it weren't for the countless bruises covering the length of her arms. She quickly ran to her closet and pulled out a pink zip-up hoodie and put it on over her tank top.

Closing her closet she walked toward her bed, sighing as she plopped onto the uncomfortably stiff mattress. Her heart began racing in her chest as she realized what she was going to do. Flora's father would never allow her the pleasure of going to a party after all, people would be there. She quickly shook her head in an attempt to push those thoughts out of her mind before distracting herself with the task of pulling on her pink platforms.

Going to her dresser one last time she did a quick check of her appearance in the mirror. She reached for her brush and ran it through her brown hair before deciding to just leave it as it was. Before she could do anything else she heard the sound of the doorbell which had immediately caused her to jump.

Flora made haste as she ran out of her bedroom and down the stairs. She ran quickly through the living room and upon reaching the front door threw it open. She was both surprised and relieved when she saw that her visitor was none other than Layla.

"Hey Flora," Layla greeted with a friendly smile.

"Hello," came Flora's quiet reply.

Flora was relieved to see that Layla wasn't very dressed up. The dark skinned girl was wearing a pink and green horizontal stripped racer back tank top with flared jeans and green flats. Stella had told the girls to dress casual but Flora was concerned that she had dressed too casually until just then.

"I was wondering if you'd like a ride to the party," offered Layla.

"I wouldn't want to trouble you…"

"It isn't any trouble at all," Layla replied insistently, "Are you ready to go?"

"I guess so."

"Then let's get going."

Flora followed Layla to out of the house and to her car, a green Neon. Getting in on the passenger's side Flora noticed the cream colored interior and, the most important feature of the car, the impressive stereo system. She had noticed that Riven had also had a rather expensive looking stereo in his car causing her to assume that it was a must-have for any teen's automobile attending Alfea. While riding with Riven she ended up listening to The 69 Eyes and now she was wondering what Layla would have her listening to.

She soon received her answer. Layla keyed the ignition causing both the car and the stereo to jump to life, playing the song 'No One' by Alicia Keys. Flora smiled slightly to show her liking of the song and to assure Layla that she wouldn't have to worry about her saying she had terrible taste in music. In fact, listening to the soulful lyrics and soothing voice of Alicia Keys made Flora feel more relaxed for some reason.

"Um… Layla?" Flora said nervously.

"Yeah?" replied Layla. She was glad that her companion was taking initiative to start a conversation.

"Are you sure you want to be friends with me?" the brunette inquired, fiddling with her fingers worriedly.

"Of course I am, Flora," replied Layla with sincerity, "In fact, I think the others want to be your friends too. You seem like a very sweet girl."

"I'd really like that," Flora said, blushing slightly, "Thank you."

"I'm glad to hear it. It's really hard to watch someone go through tough times all alone, especially when they seem like such a friendly person," stated Layla caringly, "You have people you can talk to now and I'd bet Helia would be there too if you needed it."

Flora smiled at the mention of Helia. She was glad that Layla and the others wanted to be her friends but for some reason she was even happier that Helia did as well. She hadn't felt this kind of warmth since her mother died eleven years ago and it seemed so foreign now. But more than anything it was comforting.

Layla noticed from the corner of her eye that Flora had visibly relaxed after their heart to heart. The dark skinned girl was glad for this. Flora always seemed so uptight and miserable. It was about time that somebody stepped in and helped her and Layla had made the decision to be that somebody.

Flora's eyes widened when they pulled up to the place Stella called home. It was more a palace than a house. To get there Layla had drive through a fancy looking gate, then drive up a lengthy driveway before finally allowing the valet to park the car for them. Continuing toward the three story mansion Flora observed the perfectly pruned shrubbery and a garden that was obviously maintained by a professional gardener. Flora was in awe of the property while Layla seemed unfazed from visiting often. The dark skinned girl pressed the doorbell before flashing Flora a comforting smile.

Shortly the door flew open to reveal a happy, radiant Stella. Though she'd said the dress was casual Stella always had to look her best. That being the case the modelesque beauty decided on a mini halter dress that was navy blue in color. With the dress she wore silver strappy heals and long, diamond earrings. She also wore her blonde hair in a high pony tail.

"I'm so glad you could make it!" Stella exclaimed hugging first Layla and Flora, "Come in!"

Stella quickly ushered the girls inside where there was already a sizable group participating in various activities. There was a Wii hooked up to the plasma screen as well as numerous other games set up in the gaming room. There was plenty of furniture on which people could sit and chat with friends. And, of course, there was music blaring from a rather impressive stereo system to which a number of people were dancing. The song currently playing was 'Rock'n Roll' by The Sounds.

_One, two, three, four  
__No I want more  
__And five, six, seven  
__It's not okay_

_Why do you taste so good?  
__This time I'm really hooked…_

But the thing that stuck out the most to Flora were the various alcoholic beverages that were present.

"I'm guessing your parents are out of town," stated Layla who had also noticed the booze.

"That's right," replied Stella with a nod, "And you know what they say: when the parents are away the children will play!"

"I guess you're right," Layla agreed.

Shortly after that exchange the trio was joined by Musa and Bloom. Bloom was wearing a white cutoff sweater with a blue mini skirt and had her red hair tied in a low pony tail with the exception of her bangs. Musa had decided on a pair of low-rise black jeans and a fitted red tank. She'd also chosen to wear her blue-black hair down.

"Hey guys!" greeted a cheerful Bloom.

"How's it going?" Musa greeted equally cheerful.

"Um… hi," said Flora shyly.

"Hi Flora, I'm so glad you came," stated Bloom sincerely.

"Really?" asked the surprised brunette.

"Of course!" exclaimed Musa reassuringly.

Flora smiled brightly. It was comforting to hear that Stella, Bloom, and Musa felt the same way that Layla did. Perhaps she would be able to relax and have a good time, even push her father out of her mind for a while.

"Hey Flora, have a drink," said Stella as she handed her a plastic cup, "Cheers!"

Flora nervously sipped at the foreign liquid. Doing so made her nervous as her father spent many an evening drinking before coming home to issue her nightly beating. Now here she was being encouraged to get drunk herself. She looked to her new friends to see just how the liquid had effected them. Stella had found Brandon and was making out with him in a corner. Layla, Musa, and Bloom had decided to dance to 'Kiss Kiss' by Chris Brown. So far there had been no violence so Flora figured that it probably wasn't the alcohol that made her father so angry and that whatever was in the cup was safe to drink.

Meanwhile a small group of uninvited guests had entered the room. Included in that group were the Trix who were all dressed in micro mini skirts, bandeau tops, and five inch stilettos. Icy's ensemble was midnight blue, Darcy's was royal purple, and Stormy's was burgundy.

They weren't their alone either. With them was a tall boy around the same age as the Trix. He had shaggy auburn hair, an athletic physique, and piercing black eyes. He was wearing a white muscle shirt under a blue jacket with a pair of blue jeans.

"Told you they'd be too drunk to notice that we're here," stated Icy confidently.

"Looks like everybody's having fun," observed Stormy grinning.

"Yeah but the fun's almost over for one of them," stated Darcy glancing at their male companion.

"Which one of these bitches is Flora?" he asked, impatience evident in his tone.

"That's her over there," replied Icy pointing to where the brunette was standing by herself, "What do you think, Brody?"

"Not bad at all," said Brody with a sick grin, "And you're sure she's a virgin?"

"Please!" Stormy began before Darcy elbowed her in the stomach.

"What Stormy means to say is 'would we ever lie to you'?" said Darcy before Stormy could go on her 'that girl couldn't get laid if she tried' tirade.

"Guess not," replied Brody shrugging his shoulders.

"Looks like the amateur's had too much already," observed Icy with a smirk, "That's your cue, Brody."

"Later."

Brody left the Trix behind and made his way toward a drunken Flora. It was obvious that she'd had a bit too much as she was wobbly and looked as though she were dizzy. All it took was that one drink to get the inexperienced girl totally wasted.

"You alright?" inquired Brody with phony politeness.

"I'm a little dizzy," Flora replied.

"Maybe you should lay down for a while," suggested Brody with a grin, "You know, until you feel a little better."

"Maybe you're right," Flora agreed. Her judgment was impaired by the alcohol causing her to trust in this complete stranger.

"Let me help you out," offered Brody, _This is just too perfect!_

"Alright…"

Brody lifted Flora bridal style and carried her out of the gaming room. He continued through the living room and up the stairs. He didn't stop until he'd found a vacant bedroom. Laying Flora on the bed he went to close the door so that no one would figure out what was going on.

Slowly Brody removed his jacket and then his shirt, throwing them on the ground carelessly. He then climbed on top of Flora and looked down at her. Green eyes widened with fear as she could feel her hoodie being pulled off of her. Next was her tank top revealing many dark bruises. Brody smiled sickly noticing the dark markings.

"Looks like somebody roughed you up pretty good," observed Brody not even attempting to sound concerned.

His words caused Flora to freeze up. Her secret could be exposed if this guy chose to tell people what he saw. That wasn't all Flora would have to worry about though…

"There's no need to be so afraid," Brody said with a cocky grin, "I won't hurt you much if you're a good girl…"

Flora began struggling but it was no use, Brody was simply too strong. Pinning her to the bed he pressed his mouth to hers, forcing his tongue inside and jamming it down her throat. Unfortunately that was only the beginning…


End file.
